A Murder at the End of the World
An amateur detective investigates a murder at an Icelandic retreat.
Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij created the psychological mystery thriller miniseries A Murder at the End of the World for FX on Hulu. Emma Corrin plays an amateur detective investigating a murder at a remote Icelandic glacial retreat. The show, their fifth collaboration, debuted its first two episodes on November 14, 2023. The cast also includes Marling, Clive Owen, and Harris Dickinson.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Murder mystery; Psychological thriller
- Creator
- Brit Marling; Zal Batmanglij
- Writer
- Brit Marling
- Zal Batmanglij
- Melanie Marnich
- Rebecca Roanhorse
- Composer
- Saunder Jurriaans; Danny Bensi
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Episodes
- 7
- Executive producers
- Brit Marling
- Zal Batmanglij
- Andrea Sperling
- Melanie Marnich
- Nicki Paluga
Facts from the source article.
Production
FX gave the green light to a limited series originally called Retreat on August 13, 2021. The show was created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, who also executive produced, wrote, and directed. This was their fifth project together after a decade of collaboration, which included creating the Netflix series The OA. Other executive producers were Andrea Sperling, Melanie Marnich, and Nicki Paluga. Marling and Batmanglij started developing the story in 2019, drawing from their fascination with amateur sleuths and young female detectives, as well as the idea of how much knowledge Gen Z can find online. They got an early look at ChatGPT and used what they learned from testing it in the script. When the series was announced, Marling was set to appear in a key role. Emma Corrin was cast as the lead character Darby Hart on October 11, 2021. On February 11, 2022, Clive Owen, Harris Dickinson, Alice Braga, Jermaine Fowler, Joan Chen, Raúl Esparza, Edoardo Ballerini, Pegah Ferydoni, Ryan J. Haddad, and Javed Khan joined the main cast. Daniel Olson and Britian Seibert were added in recurring roles on April 6, 2022. Principal photography started on February 7, 2022, in Kearny, New Jersey, Utah, and Iceland. In April 2022, three days of filming took place at the Readington River Buffalo Farm in Readington, New Jersey. A scene featuring Darby riding and walking a bike, with a view of the Mill Lane Tavern, was shot in Rockaway Boro, New Jersey. Marling posted on Instagram on September 2, 2022, that it was the last day of filming, and the Los Angeles Times reported in late December 2022 that production had wrapped.
Release
The seven-episode miniseries was released in the United States on November 14, 2023, via FX on Hulu, where the initial two episodes dropped at once and the remaining installments followed weekly. Its original August 29, 2023, launch was postponed because of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Outside the U.S., it aired on Disney+, while Latin American viewers accessed it on Star+. To build hype, FX Networks orchestrated a multi-month puzzle spanning websites, physical items, and Instagram. It began with an event at The Mysterious Bookshop, where attendees received pages to decode, leading to the first promo image. Later, rings distributed at San Diego Comic-Con used NFC technology to unlock a trailer online.
Reception
A Murder at the End of the World became the most watched content during the week of November 23 according to ReelGood, and JustWatch reported it was the second most streamed TV show in the United States during the weeks of November 19 and 26. Television Stats data showed the series topped Hulu's Top TV Shows chart on November 14, 2023, and remained there as of November 27, 2023. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an 88% approval rating with an average rating of 6.9/10 based on 59 reviews; the critics consensus calls it a worthy brain-teaser for fans of Marling and Batmanglij's offbeat storytelling. Metacritic assigned a score of 73 out of 100 based on 32 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. The series was named among the best TV shows of 2023 by Variety, Elle, Rolling Stone, LA Times, Boston Globe, The New York Post, The New Republic, The Wrap, Collider, The Ringer, and Vulture. Fans created a Discord server called Angel Neurosis to discuss the puzzles, which grew from 30 to 1,000 members over the show's run, hosting weekly watch parties attended by cast and crew including Batmanglij, Marling, Javed Kahn, Edoardo Ballerini, Daniel Olson, and Alex DiGerlando.
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